Third win for Rullo
Photographer: Tim Allott. Podium caption L to R. Outright winners, T200 class: Roger Tan, Heuson Bak, Peter Rullo, Steve Glenney, Matthew O’Neill, Michael Lloyd
The finale of Lance East Exotics Tarmac West delivered thrills, spills and champions. Competitors raced the clock on closed roads in Malaga this morning and in the heart of Perth this afternoon along Riverside Drive and the Terrace Road carpark.
This morning, 53 competitors started and by the day’s end, 50 finished. There were 70 cars entered into Lance East Exotics Tarmac West this year, the biggest field in 12 years.
Almost one quarter of the field were rookies (23 per cent or 16 competitors). And 15 competitors came from outside the metro area, 10 of those from the southwest.
Rally cars ranged from classics such as 1964 Ford Anglia and 1969 Ford Falcon to modern Subaru WRXs and Mitsubishi Evos to powerful Porsches and electrifying Teslas.
A mild 20-degree day started with cloud and a soft sprinkling of rain and cleared up to a bright, sunny spring day, drawing tens of thousands of spectators who revelled in the exciting action on and off track.
The Celebration of Motorsport transformed Langley Park into a mega motoring festival with 600 cars on display from guttural muscle cars, candy-coloured hot rods, sleek exotics along with classic, historic and cars, race cars, trucks, bikes helicopter rides, Monster Bus rides, activities and much more.
A few VIPs experienced life in the fast lane with a ride in a rally car including member for Landsdale and WA Minister for Mines, Petroleum and Exploration, and Water, Daniel Pastorelli.
Minister Pastorelli said he was nervous initially but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“At first, I was thinking, what have I done? But it was amazing, the driver Jeff did an incredible job, it was a bit dicey there on a couple of turns, but a lot of fun,” the Minister said with a wide smile.
“Tarmac West is amazing, the activation here, there are thousands of people all just enjoying every element and obviously these amazing cars, the sounds, the motorsport, the feeling of it, it’s brilliant.
“Congratulations to everyone behind the event, all the volunteers and all the staff they’ve done a brilliant job. It’s a big event to put on for four days across Perth and in the Hills and Bullsbrook. Credit to everyone behind the event,” said Minister Pastorelli.
Tarmac West Event Director Ross Tapper said it has been a good rally.
“We’ve had four days of rally excitement with many challenges along the way, but we got through all of them,” Tapper said.
“Langley Park is full of people enjoying themselves, looking at cars, having lunch with their families, watching the action on track, it’s been a brilliant day.
“A big thanks to everyone who has been a part of Lance East Exotics Tarmac West – the competitors, the officials, the sponsors, the spectators, it can’t happen without them and it’s been a great effort by everyone to make it all happen.”
There were six stages scheduled for today, three in Malaga and three in the city. Two Malaga stages were cancelled after car 45 was involved in an incident. Both crew are ok and taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
T200
In the open class, Competition T200, Peter Rullo took his third outright win at the 2026 Lance East Exotics Tarmac West.
In his new 2023 Porsche 992 RGT with Steve Glenney as co-driver, Rullo finished 25 seconds ahead of Heuson Bak and Roger Tan in their 2017 Lotus Exige S 350.
Rullo took the top step of Tarmac West in 2018 in 2004 Porsche 996 and in 2021 driving a 2020 SSC Lotus Exige GT, both with his long-term co-driver Jimmy Marquet, who this year was cheering from the sidelines recovering from an injury.
Rullo and Glenney started the day with a 16.9 second lead, which inched up across with each of the four stages that ran.
Matthew O’Neill and co-driver Michael Lloyd in their 2006 Subaru WRX STI Spec C finished in third place, 1:52 minutes behind the lead pace.
O’Neill and Lloyed won two stages today, and Jurgen and Helen Lunsmann in their EV 2019 Tesla Model 3P+, won the last two stages of the day and finished in fourth place.
An elated Rullo said it wasn’t an easy win.
“We definitely didn’t do it the easy the way. We made a mistake on the hairpin turn in Kalamunda on Zig Zag when we tried to attempt a handbrake turn and got it wrong and then couldn’t get it into reverse and lost 30 seconds or so there,” Rullo said.
“We had a big slog yesterday to try to come back, and unfortunately a few stages were cancelled but we ended up with a win, so we’re happy.”
How it happened in T200
Heuson Bak and Roger Tan in their 2017 Lotus Exige S 350 led the open class from the first stage in Whiteman Park through Ellenbrook, Parkerville, Kalamunda and Bullsbrook, ending Day 2 with a 40-second advantage.
Behind them, Peter Rullo and co-driver Steve Glenney in their Porsche 992 RGT overcame a faulty steering wheel paddle before the start and a spin at the Zig Zag hairpin that cost about 40 seconds and won six of the nine stages on Day 2. On the marathon Day 3 in Toodyay, Maryville Downs and Bullsbrook, Rullo and Glenney won every stage and took the lead on SS23 Maryville Downs 1, going into the final day 16.9 seconds ahead.
Early contender Mark Cirillo and Daymon Nicoli, who swept the three Ellenbrook stages on Day 1 in their 2024 BMW M4, were out after an incident on SS11. Will White and Matt Thompson in their Nissan R35 GTR ran third and were second fastest on the first six stages of Day 3 before an incident on SS23 ended their rally, both crew OK. Matthew O'Neill and Michael Lloyd in their 2006 Subaru WRX STI Spec C, never far from the top four, moved into third.
T185
In the T185 category, introduced this year for modified classics, Byron Ellement and Dean Mclardy won three of today’s four stages in their 1964 Ford Anglia.
Their leading margin over Mike Doyle and Brett Hale in a 1991 Subaru Liberty RS grew from 4:10 minutes at the start of the day to 4:32 by the end.
Remarkably, the oldest car in the rally (the shell at least) the 1964 Ford Anglia driven by Ellement and Mclardy finished in sixth place outright, ahead of cars fifty-years younger.
Competitors in T185 are limited to speeds of 185km/h.
Ellement said he was happy with the win but felt a bit disappointed after his brother, Nathan Ellement in the T200 class was forced to retire on Day 1 after hitting a speed bump too hard. He rejoined the rally on Day 2 albeit out of contention.
“I was hoping to have good battles with my brother and didn’t get to compete against him for the whole rally,” Ellement said.
“I’m stoked with the car, the car went really well, it’s a long rally for really old car to do, so we’re really glad to be here at the finish, the car was on rails, I’m really happy with it.
“And I just would like to thank Ross [Tapper, event director] for having a class that we can run this car in. We’ve never been able to run before, so thanks, Ross.”
How it happened in T185
In the new class for modified classics, Byron Ellement and Dean Mclardy in the rally's oldest car, a 1964 Ford Anglia, led from Day 1 and were never headed. They won all nine Day 3 stages and stretched their margin over Mike Doyle and Brett Hale in a 1991 Subaru Liberty RS from 2.9 seconds after Day 1 to 1:44 after Day 2 and 4:10 after Day 3, and finished Day 4 in sixth outright ahead of modern turbocharged and 4WD machinery.
T165
In the T165 category, partners in the car and partners in life, rookie Simon Brennan and Sylvia Hamerlik maintained their lead in their 2021 BMW M4 Competition take the class win with a 3:46 minute margin.
The duo also finished the rally in fifth place outright.
When Ben Pang and Brandon Chin retired their 2020 Toyota GR Yaris after SS29 with engine issues, it promoted rookie Anthony Jewell and co-driver Rachael Ferrante in their 2022 Toyota Supra A90 to second place.
Almost five minutes off the top pace in third place was Keith Hamilton and David Humphreys in their 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
Brennan said the win was a great outcome after a lot of effort and preparation.
“Tarmac West was fantastic, it was an enjoyable challenge, very fast paced, and an incredibly well run and organised event,” Brennan said.
This was Brennan’s first Lance East Exotics Tarmac West, although he has competed in Tarmac Albany and Tarmac South West, and plans to compete in Adelaide Rally in October and Targa Tasmania in November.
Preparation for Brennan included track time, motorcycle racing, which he has been doing for more than two decades, and training for both himself and his co-driver.
“It felt like a pat on the back for all the hard work that went into preparation for the event,” Brennan said.
“We decided to do rallies because we wanted to be part of the motorsport community and be around a great bunch of people who work together, where everyone helps each other.
“We only have two circuits in WA, Wanneroo and Collie, so it’s very easy to get bored. The motorsport community for racing is one thing, but rally is different, there’s more warmth and friendliness.”
Competitors in T165 are limited to speeds of 165km/h.
How it happened in T165
Rookie Anthony Jewell, 22, and co-driver Rachael Ferrante in the 2022 Toyota Supra A90 that won last year's rally led T165 after Day 1 and sat fifth outright. An intermittent limp mode fault cost them time on Day 2 and again on SS22, dropping them to fourth in class.
Simon Brennan and Sylvia Hamerlik in their 2021 BMW M4 Competition took the lead on Day 2 with four stage wins and led all of Day 3, extending their margin over Ben Pang and Brandon Chin in their 2020 Toyota GR Yaris from 45 seconds to 2:42. Jewell and Ferrante fought back with five Day 3 stage wins, including second outright on SS27, to climb to third in class going into the final day.
T130
In the T130 category, rookie Daniel McGuckin and his father and co-driver Colin McGuckin in their 1996 Nissan 180sx maintained their lead to finish 23.5 seconds ahead of Gavin Dixon and co-diver Joe Crabtree in their 2021 Toyota GR Yaris.
Rounding out the top three in the T130 class was another father-and-son duo Jack Oehme and Anthony Oehme in their 2014 BMW M235i who are 3:29 off the leading pace.
“All in all, we’re both happy, it’s been a pretty good weekend, I know there’s only a few seconds separating us, so we’ve had to fight right to the end, it’s been good, we’ve had to push,” Daniel McGuckin said.
“The car’s still straight, so we’re happy, couldn’t ask for much more.”
How it happened in T130
The rally's biggest category, with 21 starters including 15 rookies, was led after Day 1 by rookie father and son Joshua and Rodney Brown in their 2006 Mitsubishi Evo 9, until engine trouble, penalties and an incident on the Zig Zag ended their day on Day 2. Another father and son crew Daniel and Colin McGuckin in their 1996 Nissan 180sx, took over the lead on Day 2 and held it through Day 3, finishing the marathon day 22.7 seconds ahead of rookies Gavin Dixon and Joe Crabtree in their 2011 Volkswagen Golf, who won five of the nine Day 3 stages to McGuckin's four. Jack and Anthony Oehme in their 2014 BMW M235i held third.
TSD
In the Time Speed Distance or TSD Teresa Lupton and Timonthy Lupton in their 2014 Peugeot 208 GTi finished four days of driving the same stages as rally competitors with the closest time to the set target time.
Peter Hay and Gene Schneider in their 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance finished in second place.
Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg and co-driver Lachlan White in their 2016 BMW M140i round out the top three.
Introduced in 2024, Tarmac West’s TSD category is for those who like spirited driving and an accessible introduction to rallying. Designed for standard road cars, the category requires only a helmet and an Australian Auto-Sport Alliance (AASA) General Speed Licence to qualify for entry.
Hogg and White were both all smiles at the finish line.
“We had such a great time, and thanks very much to Tarmac West and GMW for giving me the opportunity to be in this car in Tarmac West, and thanks to all the sponsors too, there’s so much work that goes into it,” said Hogg.
“It was absolutely sensation, four days of rallying, it’s very similar to cricket in a way in that you’ve got to sit around, wait, you’re working as a team but for you to get a bowl or bat, you just have to sit around and wait and then do your job. That’s one that similar between cricket and rallying.
“I’ve got to say, the adrenalin rush is absolutely sensational.
“And when you have a good co-driver like Lachlan here, who pulls you back when you need it or getting a little bit too cocky, you’re feeling in safe hands,” said Hogg, after finishing his first rally.
Run by Tarmac Events WA, the rally is made possible thanks to sponsors with a special acknowledgement of title sponsor Lance East Exotics, and the 300 volunteer officials who ensure the event is run safely.
For full results and to be kept up to date, visit www.tarmacevents.com.au.
Photography credits: R-Dev Media, Tim Allot, Dianne Bortoletto.
